Border Crossings announce the arrival of immersive performance, The Mouth of the Gods
An immersive theatrical celebration of Latin American Indigenous culture is coming to Hoxton Hall.
We heard from Michael Walling, Artistic Director at Border Crossings about this significant theatrical celebration of Latin American culture ahead of its London run at Hoxton Hall.
"It was back in 2021, in the thick of the pandemic, that Border Crossings first got to know Rafael Montero. He’d sought us out, knowing that we ran the ORIGINS Festival of Indigenous cultures, and that I’d also directed quite a bit of opera. It’s a pretty unusual combination, I suppose, but Rafael is even more so: a Quechua and Aymara man from Argentina, who is also an operatic tenor… And what he shared with us was richer still - a short opera from the 18th century, with music in a blend of baroque and Indigenous styles, written in the Chiquitano language. It had never been performed in England - of course it hadn’t! But my curiosity was aroused.
"Three years later, we’re getting ready to present this beautiful and uplifting piece as part of a performance we’re calling The Mouth of the Gods. The original opera is a vision of Paradise, full of dances to celebrate a Latin Utopia. It’s also only 25 minutes long.
"We realised that in order to make sense of this piece in a London show, we had to put it into context, so that it became an offer for a better future after the challenges faced by Indigenous people in the past and present. We started to explore the histories of the continent, its astonishingly rich and colourful Indigenous cultures, the stories of their interactions with Europe, the huge variety of textiles, ceramics and musical instruments held in London’s museums.
"Slowly we put together a show that combines traditional and modern dances from the region, puppets modelled on figures found in burials, an embroidered mantle from the remote region of Paracas, shamanic practices and children’s choirs. We looked into other music from the region, and were astonished by the beauty and vitality of what we found. The combination of all these different art forms is allowing us to relate stories and histories from across the continent.
"This isn’t something we could have done alone. What we have been able to do is to offer an open and creative space where the artistic work of London’s Latinx communities can be combined to make music theatre.
"Some of the people involved are community artists, like the incredibly dedicated team of embroiderers who have been working on the Paracas mantle since March; or the insightful and energetic core dance team, who embody an Indigenous community onstage. Others are established professionals: puppeteers, actors, musicians, choreographers.
"At the heart of any operatic performance are the singers, so this was where we felt the need to reach out beyond the local, and to bring in an international artist from Peru itself. Joining Rafael will be Edith Ramos Guerra, making her first appearance in the UK. Edith is a truly great performer and a cultural ambassador for her people, who combines a deep knowledge of Indigenous Andean music with the operatic skills of baroque performance. We can’t wait!"
Dates
Wednesday 27th November – Sunday 1st December 2024
Wednesday – Saturday, 7:15pm Saturday matinee, 2:30pm
Sunday, 5:30pm
Address
Hoxton Hall, 130 Hoxton Street, London N1 6SH
Website
https://www.bordercrossings.org.uk/whats- on/programme/mouth-gods